Watch: Fountain Show At Bharat Mandapam Ahead Of G20 Summit

As the national capital is all geared up for the 18th Heads of State and Government Summit of the G20 (Group of 20) being held on September 9 and 10, the government is leaving no stone unturned in the preparations for welcoming the high-profile delegates. 

A fountain show was organised at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre, which is the venue for the G20 summit, at Delhi's Pragati Maidan on Friday. 

#WATCH | G-20 in India: Sound and fountain show being organised at Bharat Mandapam, in Delhi

Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan is all set to host the G 20 Summit on September 9 and 10.#G20India2023 pic.twitter.com/04uEaGtPWa

— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

In addition, leaders of the G20 summit will be treated with first-of-its-kind instrumental music performances showcasing the cultural depth of Bharat on the occasion to be hosted by the President of India on September 9.

Bharat-Vadya-Darshanam (musical journey of India), a fusion of different musical styles prevailing within Bharat, will be organised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi under the Ministry of Culture.

78 instrumentalists from all over the country will perform together for three hours before foreign dignitaries during the dinner programme hosted by the President in honour of G20 leaders at 'Bharat Mandapam'.

What sets this ensemble apart is the inclusion of 34 Hindustani instruments, 18 Carnatic instruments, and 40 folk instruments from across Indian states featuring 78 artists including 11 children, 13 women, 7 differently abled (Divyang) artists, 26 young men and 21 seniors.

Dr Sandhya Purecha, Chairperson of Sangeet Natak Akademi, said that the musical programme with compositions in Vilambit Laya (slow tempo) followed by Madhya Laya (medium fast tempo) ending with few scores in Druta Laya (Fast tempo).

The performance will go on for three hours from 6-9 pm, the chairperson said.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Asia Cup Stand-By Player Sanju Samson Leaves Team India Squad: Report

In what comes as the latest update from Sri Lanka, India batter Sanju Samson has left the Team India squad amid the ongoing Asia Cup Super Four stage, as per sources. Samson was a travelling reserve player in India's 17-member squad for the Asia Cup 2023. KL Rahul, who had missed the first two matches -against Pakistan and Nepal- in the Asia Cup after he picked up a niggle, joined India and practised with the team's nets on Thursday.  The sources said after Rahul joined India, Samson was released from the squad as he travelled with the team as a stand-by player.

"Sanju Samson is sent back after KL joined the squad. Samson has been released from the squad as he was travelling with the team as a stand-by player," a BCCI source told ANI.

Earlier on Thursday, India had an intense practice session ahead of their clash with arch-rival Pakistan. KL practised for both left-arm pacers and right-arm pacers, keeping in mind the quality bowling attack of the Pakistan side. He spent the longest time in the nets to be fully prepared for his comeback match.

As for Samson, the wicketkeeper-batter has also not been included in India's squad for ICC World Cup 2023. 

The group stage match between India and Pakistan was called off due to rain, with both teams sharing one point each. In the match, the Indian batting team struggled in front of Pakistan's pace attack, especially Shaheen Afridi who had taken four wickets in the match. India were bundled out at 266 in 48.5 overs with Hardik Pandya's 87 and Ishan Kishan's 82 helping the team post a decent target.

However, rain played spoilsport and the match was called off without Pakistan facing a single ball.
In the Super Four stage, the arch-rivals will again have a chance to produce an electrifying clash as Men in Blue will take on Pakistan at the  R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday. 

Pakistan kicked off the Super Four with a dominant 7-wicket victory against Bangladesh on Wednesday in the Gaddafi Stadium. 

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumraj, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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"Why Rahul All Time...": Ex-India Star Name-Drops 'Kohli, Rohit' In Debate

Former India batter Aakash Chopra has opened up on the Rohit Sharma-led side's fascination over KL Rahul, who hasn't been in the best of forms so far this year. Rahul, who missed the two group matches of the Asia Cup, is likely to be back for the Super 4 game against Pakistan on Sunday. He is also included in India's 15-man preliminary squad for the World Cup on home soil, starting October 5. However, several current and former players suggested that India should continue to back the in-form players, instead of Rahul, who has been out of action for a while.

Chopra pointed out that Rahul is a flexible player, who can vat at different positions and can also keep the wickets, which makes his one of the first names in the playing XI. 

"It has been a topic of intense debate that why KL Rahul all the time - why does the Indian team remain so interested? Although he is an opener, he is among the very few versatile cricketers who can bat in other positions and are equally adept," Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.

To further back his claim, Chopra gave the examples of star batter Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who are unlikely to change their batting slots.

"You can take it with a pinch of salt, if you may, you will not ask Rohit Sharma to play at No. 5. You have less expectation of Virat Kohli performing very well at No. 5. Although both of them have done it in the past, now the best of them is at the top. You won't ask Shubman Gill to play at No. 5. In fact, you are slightly 50-50 in playing Ishan Kishan as well at No. 5 because he won't get to bat in the first 10 overs every time and what will happen if spin comes straightaway at the start. What happens if the pitch is slightly slow? So those questions are still on your mind," Chopra explained.

Rahul was seen practising in the the nets ahead of the game against Pakistan on Sunday. It will be interesting to see whether or not he'll be shipped straight into the playing XI.

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Virat Kohli Plays With Puppy During Asia Cup Practice - Video Wins Hearts

The Indian cricket team is gearing up for the Super 4 stage of Asia Cup 2023 with their first game against Pakistan on Sunday. The group stage match between the two traditional rivals was abandoned due to rain but the Rohit Sharma-led side booked their berth in the Super 4 with a comfortable win over Nepal. With intensity running high ahead of the match, some players had a light moment when a puppy entered the stadium during their practice session. The cricketers were playing football and once they noticed the puppy, they included it in their games. In a picture which has gone viral on social media, Virat Kohli can be seen petting and playing with the puppy.

Can KL Rahul keep wickets for the entire duration of an ODI? That question has gathered steam after his inclusion in the India squad for ongoing Asia Cup and the upcoming World Cup. But on Friday, Rahul might have answered a few sceptics while keeping for nearly 45 minutes at nets.

Even though Rahul has been batting quite fluently at the NCA match simulation process and at nets here, his wicketkeeping remained a subject of speculation.

King Kohli playing with a puppy in the practice session.

Video of the day! pic.twitter.com/tSR0oyBYYT

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 8, 2023

Rahul's intense keeping drill at nets might have also brightened his chance of getting included in India's playing 11 for the Super 4 match against Pakistan on Sunday. Rahul last played for India in an ODI match against Australia in Chennai in March this year.

A puppy entered the practice session of India - Virat Kohli showed his love towards him. (Dainik Jagran). pic.twitter.com/J0Sp3MU6Am

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 8, 2023

Going through various scenarios of a match was at the core of Rahul's training at the Premadasa Stadium on Friday.

The training started with Rahul standing up to the stumps as two support staff members did the duties of batter and bowler, a simulation of keeping to spinners.

Rahul was given a test on collecting the ball outside off-stump, and the 31-year-old also managed to crouch for the entire duration of training without much discomfort.

It might have given the team management a vivid portend about Rahul's recovery from a niggle which was independent of the right thigh injury that mandated a surgery and rehabilitation.

(With PTI inputs)

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Manipur Woman Who Filed 2nd FIR Against Editors' Guild Seeks CBI Probe

A woman in Manipur who filed the second police case against the Editors' Guild of India (EGI) chief and three members of its fact-finding team has requested for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the case.

Imphal resident Sorokhaibam Thoudam Sangita had filed the first information report (FIR) against the EGI fact-finding team who went to Manipur for four days to look into the media's reportage of the Meitei-Kuki ethnic conflict. Hers was the second FIR; the first was filed by another Imphal-based social worker N Sarat Singh.

The EGI in the report released on Saturday last said there are clear indications that the leadership of the state became partisan during the conflict. "It should have avoided taking sides in the ethnic conflict, but it failed to do its duty as a democratic government which should have represented the entire state," the report said among its several observations in a concluding summary.

The EGI has condemned the state government's move to file the FIR as an effort to intimidate journalists. The Supreme Court yesterday said no coercive action can be taken against the four accused till Monday.

Ms Sangita, however, alleged the EGI is trying to divert the issue and escape from answering with evidence all the allegations the three-member team had made against the Meitei community, who are a majority in the valley areas of Manipur.

"This issue is very serious. The team was crowdfunded too. We want to know who all donated to them for the Manipur visit. The CBI should take this case and go into the root of the case," Ms Sangita said.

"There was relative calm in Manipur, but after the report that used words like 'Meitei police' and 'Meitei media' came out, the atmosphere has become tensed following the ethnic clash with Kukis. This report led to fresh enmity between the two communities and there has been fresh trouble in the past few days," she alleged. "The EGI may try to pressure us to cancel the case. I don't want that to happen. I beg the government to request for a CBI probe into the entire case," Ms Sangita said.

The EGI report alleged the Manipur government branded all Kuki tribes as "illegal immigrants" after some 4,000 refugees fleeing the military coup in neighbouring Myanmar crossed into Manipur. The EGI in the report faulted the state government for taking a series of steps that led to resentment among the Chin-Kukis to build up. "The state government seems to have facilitated the majority's anger against the Kukis through several seemingly partisan statements and policy measures," the report said.

The All Manipur Working Journalists Union, and the Editors' Guild of Manipur said they have taken strong exception to the "half-baked so-called fact-finding report, which was completed in merely four days." "The report has many contentions and wrong representations which are damaging to the reputation of the journalist community in the state, especially Imphal-based news outlets," the Manipur journalists' collective and the Editors' Guild of Manipur said in the statement.

The three journalists came to Manipur on a crowdfunded visit to prepare the report. The EGI on July 26 posted on X, asking for donation to fund "a fact-finding mission to document media's coverage of the Manipur ethnic clashes."

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Pixel 8 Series Design Revealed; New Pixel Watch, Buds Launch Confirmed

Pixel 8 series, including the standard Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, is all set to launched by Google on October 4. Ahead of the official debut, the California-based tech giant has revealed the design of the smartphones. Google has also hinted at other devices that are scheduled to launch on the same day. These include new smartwatch and earphones, which could be the Pixel Watch 2 and new Pixel Buds Pro. The company has also announced the pre-order sale date for its upcoming Pixel 8 series, along with the smartwatch and earphones. 

Weeks ahead of the launch event, Google has given a glimpse of the products that will release on October 4. A teaser video posted on X by Made by Google (@madebygoogle) has revealed the debut of Pixel Watch 2 and the new Pixel Buds Pro, apart from the Pixel 8 series, on October 4. Both the smartwatch and earphones will launch in at least a Porcelain colour variant, as shown in the video.

In another teaser video posted by Made by Google, the company revealed the official design of the upcoming Pixel 8 series. While the standard Pixel 8 could be seen housing dual camera rear unit, the Pixel 8 Pro is shown with triple rear camera setup. The Pixel 8 Pro could debut in at least a Porcelain White colour variant, as seen from the video. On the other hand, the Pixel 8 is confirmed to get a Pink colour option, among other colorways.

In the same video, the company has also announced that the pre-order for both the smartphones, Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will start from October 4. The launch event is scheduled to start at 10am ET (7.30pm IST) on October 4.

The company is yet to reveal the official sale date for the Pixel 8 series smartphones and other devices. However, they are expected to debut within the first half of October 2023. 

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Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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"It Was Magical": Raghav Chadha On First Meeting With Parineeti Chopra

Amid speculation about their wedding plans, Aam Aadmi Party member Raghav Chadha in a recent interview with YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, opened up about his first meeting with fiancée and actor Parineeti Chopra. Talking about it, the AAP leader said, "Hum jaise bhi mile (However we met), it was very magical and a very organic way of meeting. It is something that I thank god every day for, for giving me Parineeti in my life... Bahut badi blessing hai (It's a huge blessing) and I am extremely happy that I have her as my partner. As I said, I thank god every single day for giving her to me."

On being asked about their wedding plans, Raghav Chadha simply said, "Main desh se zyada khush hoon (I am happier than the country)."

Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha are all set to get married later this month, according to reports. There are multiple reports in circulation about their wedding venue and dates. Amid various reports, a wedding reception invite has been doing the rounds on the Internet which claims the couple will host a reception in Chandigarh on September 30. The invite has been sent from Raghav's family. The white card has golden motifs on its border and it looks simple yet classy. An official announcement is still awaited.

Take a look at the card here, shared by a popular bollywood photographer DOP lensman Pradeep:

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A post shared by DOP_lensman Pradeep 📸🎥 (@lensman_pradeep)

Hindustan Times reported that the festivities will begin on September 17. The wedding and other functions will reportedly be held at The Leela Palace Udaipur. "Only close family members and friends will be staying there. For the other guests, all luxury properties in and around the wedding venue have been booked. It's going to be a grand Punjabi wedding. The celebration will end on September 24," HT quoted the source as saying.

Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha got engaged in the presence of family members and friends in May in Delhi's Kapurthala House. Sharing pictures from their engagement ceremony earlier this year, they wrote in the caption, "Everything I prayed for... I said yes." See the pictures from their engagement ceremony here:

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A post shared by @parineetichopra

Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha's dating rumours started doing the rounds after they were pictured at a Mumbai eatery together earlier this year. They also made a couple of appearances at the airport together. They were also spotted at an IPL match together.

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